Of Monster Movies and Burnt Popcorn
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: Oneshot. Continuation of "Ducks." It was supposed to be a simple movie night for their unofficial first date. Of course, things never go as planned, and these two are no exception. Dean Ambrose/Paige.


**Of Monster Movies and Burnt Popcorn**

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE!

**Summary**: Oneshot. Continuation of "Ducks." It was supposed to be a simple movie night for their unofficial first date. Of course, things never go as planned, and these two are no exception. Dean Ambrose/Paige.

**Characters**: Dean Ambrose and Paige

**Pairings**: Dean Ambrose/Paige

**Rating**: K+

**Genre**: Romance

**Author's Note**: All right, I'm back with another oneshot for these two! It's a continuation of my story "Ducks," but it can also stand alone. However, a couple small references may make more sense if you read that one first, so feel free to do so! This is the second story in a series that will explore a steadily building relationship between two characters who really aren't known for their romantic sides but still try to make things work. So, read and review if you'd like, just no flames please. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy! :)

Dean Ambrose paced in front of the arena where they had taped that night's NXT show in Tampa, Florida, sighing quietly to himself before he lit a cigarette. Most or all of the fans had already left, and though he had stuck around for a while to sign a couple autographs for people who managed to catch up with him and his best friends and onscreen teammates, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, it was nice to get a little alone time. But he had yet to see who he had somewhat discreetly been looking for before he made his way back to the hotel.

He slid the strap of his gym bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulder, weighed down a little by his United States Championship, as he inhaled on his cigarette, watching as the smoke drifted up toward the dark sky. There were no stars visible that night, and the rain that had begun a few hours before was still persisting. But he continued to pace regardless, never being one to mind a little bit of precipitation.

Then, Dean paused when a black umbrella appeared over his head, shielding him from the heavy rainfall, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the hand holding it up was small with fingernails painted black. A slight smirk appeared on his face when a familiar British accent reached his ears.

"Those things aren' good for you, you know."

"Yeah, I know. It's a bad habit." Dean muttered, exhaling more smoke before he tossed the cigarette to the ground and put it out beneath his foot. He didn't want to get smoke around her if he could help it. A smile replaced his smirk as he fully turned to face his younger, black-haired companion, who was just the person he had wanted to see. "Though if I remember correctly, _I'm_ the one who's supposed to be bugging _you_, not the other way around."

A matching look appeared on Paige's face as she met his gaze, reaching up with her free hand and lightly patting him on the cheek. "I don' really coun' this as bugging," she said. "More like... helping you ou'? You know, maybe a little?"

Dean chuckled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close in a light embrace. "So now we're nitpicking, are we?" he wondered.

Paige wrapped her free arm around him in return, resting her head against his shoulder for a moment before they pulled away. "No' exactly," she disagreed, her smile lingering as she took his hand in hers. "I jus' though' you migh' appreciate no' getting poured on as you walk to the hotel."

"Why, thank you for your kind offer, Miss Paige," Dean replied, lightly running his thumb over her hand. "I will gladly accept your company."

"Good, because as I recall, you _were_ supposed to bug me after the show go' done," Paige told him as they began to walk away from the arena together.

"That I was." Dean glanced down at her. "Unfortunately, I think it's too late to feed any ducks."

A broad smile appeared on the Brit's face as they started down the dark sidewalk, thinking back to when she had been feeding a family of ducks at a local community park not far from where they were staying while in Tampa before the show. She had been pleasantly surprised when Dean had joined her, and she tightened her fingers around his slightly as she thought about how they had had to run back to the hotel, hand in hand much like they were now, under the feeble shelter of a newspaper. What had happened after that she never would have predicted because even though it was only one brief moment, it had been enough to change her life completely. "Gentle" or "light" had not been the adjectives she would have chosen when she had often imagined what it would have been like to kiss the at times seemingly aloof Dean Ambrose, but that's exactly what it had been. Though to her, it was a moment that couldn't have been more perfect.

"Well, you know wha'? I'm okay with tha' for now," Paige stated with a smile as she looked up at her taller companion. "I was thinking more along the lines of... a movie and some popcorn in my room. Emma and Summer are going ou' for a girl's nigh', so we'll have time and the place to ourselves."

Dean met her gaze. "Aww, and you didn't go with them so I could bug you? You're so sweet," he jokingly muttered. He laughed a little when Paige rolled her eyes. "I'm only kidding. A movie and popcorn night sounds great!"

Paige couldn't help but smile, trying to think of what kind of movies he could possibly be into as the bright lights of the hotel came into sight. She folded up the umbrella as soon as they were under the veranda, and Dean waited for her as she shook it to clear it of excess water. A small smirk appeared on his face as he glanced around at the small, brightly lit spot, thinking back to how they had stood there just a few hours earlier, laughing and drenched after they had tried to get out of the heavy downpour before the show. She had tried to kiss his cheek like she did with all of her good friends, and he had come so close to sneaking in a kiss of his own before she caught him. He wasn't really looking for a girlfriend, that much was certain, but he had to admit that the young Brit had always been different than the other Divas he had come across in the locker room. Her attitude, her carefree personality, and her stubbornness had undeniably attracted him to her, and he should have known that she wouldn't have fallen for a silly trick like the one he had attempted to pull. However, what he hadn't expected was that she would kiss him anyway. He was glad that she had, of course, and depending on how their movie and popcorn night went, he thought that they could maybe try out this thing called a relationship.

"All righ', tha' should do i'," Paige said before she looked up at Dean. She arched an eyebrow when she saw the smirk that lingered on his face. "Wha' are you thinking abou'?"

"What?" Dean looked back at her for a moment before he chuckled quietly. "Oh, it's nothing. Wanna head in?"

Paige regarded him curiously for another moment before she slowly nodded. "Sure, we can head in," she agreed, once more tightening her hand around his as they made their way into the hotel. They walked across the warmly lit lobby to the elevators, and she pushed the up arrow and waited.

"So, uh, is this like a date or something?" Dean asked casually, watching as the numbers above the sliding double doors steadily decreased.

"Well, yeah, I suppose we could kinda consider this one," Paige answered thoughtfully. She glanced up at him with a small smile when a quiet _ding_ signaled that the elevator had arrived on their floor. "Are you coming?"

Dean shook his head slightly. "Nah, I'm just gonna take the stairs since I'm on the second floor," he told her. "Where are you?"

"Room 432." Paige watched as the double doors before her slid open. "Give me a few minutes to ge' changed into something more comfortable, yeah?"

"Of course," Dean assured her. "I'm gonna do the same. Be over in about ten minutes or so?"

Paige squeezed his hand quickly before she released it and stepped forward into the elevator, turning around to face him with a smile. "Ten minutes sounds grea'," she confirmed, pressing the button for her floor.

Dean watched as the elevator doors began to close before he reached out a hand and stopped them, causing the Brit to look up at him curiously. He leaned forward slightly, a small smile appearing on his face. "I like you."

A matching look appeared on Paige's face as she leaned forward a bit herself, meeting his lips in a soft kiss. It was as gentle as it had been the first time, and her smile broadened as she backed away again. "I like you, too," she replied quietly.

Laughing a little, Dean took a step back as he released the door, allowing them to close. He watched as the glowing numbers above the door began to rise before he made his way to the staircase at the end of the hall, taking them two at a time until he reached the second floor. He dug around in his bag for his card key as he approached the room he was sharing with Seth and Roman and slid it through to let himself in. The room was empty, and he knew that his friends were still out grabbing a bite to eat before they returned to the hotel to spend the night playing video games. He set his bag from the arena down on the couch and pulled out a pair of black sweatpants and a fresh t-shirt, perfect attire to relax in for a movie.

To give Paige a little more time, he decided to freshen up a little more even though he had showered at the arena. He quickly rinsed his face and brushed his teeth, just to be on the safe side, before he quickly brushed his fingers through his hair to straighten it out a little. Sighing, Dean quickly looked around at the room, not really knowing what else he could do to get ready. He slipped on his shoes again and grabbed his card key before writing a quick note to Seth and Roman to tell them he'd be out for the next couple of hours in case they returned to find him gone. He left it in plain sight before he shut the light off and left the room, once again deciding to take the stairs up a couple more floors.

He knocked on the door with the golden "432" at the top when he reached it, rolling his slightly stiff neck out a bit as he waited. It opened a couple minutes later to reveal Paige, wearing a casual pair of light gray sweatpants and a black tank top without socks. Her black hair was up in a messy ponytail that she clearly hadn't put any effort into, and she had taken the stud ring out of her lip and removed any lingering makeup she had been wearing for the show. But to him, she looked beautiful.

"Well, you're pretty much righ' on time," she said with a smile.

"I tried," Dean replied with a nonchalant shrug, stepping inside when Paige backed away to give him room. "Didn't want to keep you waiting."

Paige chuckled as she shut the door behind him before she made her way over to where the small microwave was sitting on the counter. "Emma and I wen' shopping for snack food for the room yesterday," she explained, lifting a box of popcorn to show him. "Extreme butter okay with you?"

Dean smiled slightly as he took it from her hand. "Sounds fine to me," he confirmed. "I'll just stick one in the microwave."

"All righ'." Paige wandered over to the bed she had claimed and plopped down on the end of it, crossing her legs as she picked up the remote and started to go through the On Demand channels. "So, Dean, wha' kind of movie catches your fancy?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder at her as he slipped his shoes off. "Uh, well, considering it's a rainy night, how about a horror movie?" He paused as he pulled a bag of popcorn out of the box. "Though, not too bad. We don't want you getting too scared, after all."

Paige raised a challenging eyebrow as she looked over to see the smirk that was on his face. "Watch i', Ambrose," she cautioned, chuckling quietly as she turned her attention back to the television. "Besides, I don' scare easy. I've been watching horror movies for as long as I can remember."

"Sure, Paige. Just don't come crying to me when you have nightmares." Dean laughed and ducked out of the way when a pillow thrown by the Brit was sent his way. He then tore off the plastic from the popcorn package and stuck it in the microwave with the right end up before he hit the button for the popcorn setting. He glanced at the time, his eyes narrowing slightly when he thought that it was a bit long, but he brushed it off since the microwave was probably a lower voltage than the one he had at his home in Cincinnati. He wandered over to the bed himself and sat down on the edge of it next to her.

"Find anything good?" he asked.

"No' ye'," Paige answered quietly as she continued to skim through their options. "There are mainly romantic comedies on righ' now."

Dean leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees as he gazed at the screen thoughtfully. "Well, that's lame," he muttered, quickly reading over potential titles as Paige continued through them. "There's gotta be something that isn't... Wait, what's that one?"

"Which one?" Paige paused, glancing over at him curiously.

"That one," Dean muttered. "It doesn't sound like a romantic comedy. Something about a creature in the sewers of Miami..."

Paige chuckled. "Wow, that's an old movie tha' never even made i' to theaters."

Dean smirked slightly with a shrug. "The cheesier the better," he claimed. "What do ya say? Wanna watch it? It's better than a romantic comedy."

The Brit considered the option for a moment before she shrugged as well. "Sure, why no'?" she replied. "As you said, it's better than a romantic comedy."

"Right on!" Dean stretched slightly. "So, you go ahead and request that, and I'll get the popcorn..." However, his sentence slowly trailed off when a strange scent started to fill the room. "Uh, Paige? Do you smell that?"

Paige's nose wrinkled slightly as she started to look around. "I' smells like something's burning..." Then, her eyes widened slightly as she quickly looked at Dean, able to see that the same thought was on his mind. "The popcorn!"

Dean cursed quietly under his breath as he scrambled off the bed with his younger companion behind him, seeing that there was another minute left on the timer. He had been right. The popcorn setting had been too high. Paige chuckled as she watched him open the door and reach in to pull out the bag, quickly letting go even when the ends of it were too hot for his fingers.

"Don' burn yourself," she cautioned as she walked past the second bed, her smile lingering while she slid open the tall window that led out to the fire escape to help clear the room of the offending odor. It was still steadily raining, but fortunately it wasn't getting inside. "Dean, se' the bag ou' here when you can ge' i'."

"True. Don't want to throw it away and set the garbage bag on fire..." Dean grabbed the ends of the popcorn bag and pulled it out of the microwave before he joined Paige over by the window. He opened it for curiosity's sake, and after moving his head back for a moment to allow steam and more of the foul odor to escape, he glanced inside to see that its contents were definitely burnt beyond repair. "Faulty microwave..."

"Sure, Dean, blame the microwave," Paige muttered with a chuckle as he set the bag down on the fire escape outside. She then laughed a little more when he flicked a small amount of rainwater he had on his fingers in her direction with a smirk.

"We'll just have to do this manually," Dean said, mainly to himself as he crossed the room and grabbed another bag of popcorn out of the box. He removed the plastic and stuck it in the microwave with the right end up like he had done before, but this time, he put a time on himself before starting it. "There, that should be good."

Paige sat back down on the edge of her bed with the remote in her hand. "And I'm requesting the movie," she added, glancing over at him. "I' starts in five minutes."

"Perfect!" Dean sat on the bed as well, watching as his younger companion selected the movie about the creature in Miami's sewers that they would be watching as the telltale sound of popcorn popping reached their ears. Hopefully it wouldn't burn this time.

A couple minutes later, he pulled the bag out of the microwave and smiled when he opened it to see that nothing was burned on the second try. "So, do you have a bowl or something, or are we eating straight out of the bag?" he wondered.

"Straigh' ou' of the bag," Paige told him as she stood to set the remote on the nightstand. "We don' have anything fancy."

Dean smiled. "That's okay. I actually prefer it this way." He then hit the light switch that was by the door, casting the room into darkness except for the glow of the television. He chuckled when Paige glanced over in his direction. "What? It's a horror movie, right? Gotta set the mood."

The Brit smirked slightly as she walked over to the counter to grab the pillow that she had thrown from where it had landed on the floor. "You read my mind." She then set the pillow back in its proper place by the headboard before she sat down on the bed, leaning back against it and stretching her legs out in front of her. Dean sat down next to her, leaning back against the second pillow as he also stretched out his legs just as the movie began. He held the popcorn bag between them so it was in easy reach for both of them, taking a piece himself and tossing it in the air to catch it in his mouth.

However, he missed his target slightly, and it bounced off his nose before hitting Paige in the cheek. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw the startled look that crossed her face before she reached into the bag and threw another piece at him. "Hey!" Dean grabbed another piece and threw it back, almost getting stuck in her dark hair. This continued for a little while longer before they decided that they actually wanted to eat the majority of the popcorn that they hadn't burned.

"We totally missed the beginning scene of the movie," Paige muttered as she sat back against the pillow again, grabbing a piece of popcorn that was resting on the bed next to her leg and eating it.

"That's okay, I'm sure it's easy enough to follow," Dean replied as he settled back himself. "I mean, how complicated can a creature from the sewers terrorizing the citizens of Miami be?"

Paige chuckled quietly. "Very true." A few more minutes passed before she glanced over at him, and she scooted a little closer before lightly resting her head on his shoulder.

Dean looked down at her curiously before he smirked. "Scared already, Paige?" he asked.

The Brit lightly poked his side in return. "No," she answered. "You're jus' comfortable. That's all."

"Well, at least I'm good for something." A small smile replaced his smirk as Dean moved the bag of popcorn to his other hand before he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer as she snuggled against him.

They had gotten about halfway through the movie when the odor from the failed attempt at making popcorn was nearly distilled in the air and when the television suddenly shut off, casting the room into complete darkness. A few moments passed where the sudden silence hung heavily over them, broken only by the rain outside.

"You have _go' _to be kidding me," Paige finally said. "I' isn' even raining tha' hard!"

"It doesn't have to be for a power surge," Dean replied with a sigh. "It'll probably be back on shortly. Hopefully, at least." Then, he chuckled. "Well, my dear. If that sewer creature shows up, I'll protect ya!"

"No, no." Paige glanced up at her best guess of where his face was as she stayed snuggled close. "_I'll _protec' _you_. Besides, i' was supposed to be in Miami, remember?"

Dean smirked. "It could easily make its way over here, you know," he told her. "Probably wouldn't be too difficult for a creature with four arms, two heads, and three legs, after all."

Paige chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder again. "Well, if I see anything like tha', I'll make sure to–!" However, her sentence ended in a startled shriek when a sudden sound came from the fire escape right outside the window.

"It was probably nothing," Dean assured her, slowly sitting up as he unwound his arm from around the Brit. The noise, which sounded like ripping and tearing, continued, and he stood from the bed to go investigate. Paige stood as well, grabbing a pillow to hold in front of her even though she didn't really know how much good it would do against whatever could have been out on the fire escape.

Dean led the way over the tall, faintly lit rectangle that was the window, illuminated by the lights from the city outside, before he paused. He glanced back when he felt Paige stand close behind him, and he waited for a moment longer before he quickly pulled the curtains aside. His younger companion gasped when a flurry of dark wings greeted them, but he couldn't help but laugh when he saw the supposed monster.

"It was just a couple birds, Paige," he told her as they flew away. "They were getting into our burnt bag of popcorn."

"Oh, my God... I had forgotten we had even pu' tha' ou' there to cool off," Paige muttered, closing her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. "Why don' we bring tha' in? I think it's cool enough to throw away now..."

Dean's smile lingered as he leaned out and picked up the soaked, almost empty bag of popcorn to bring back into the hotel room before he closed the window since the smell was pretty much gone. He tossed it in the garbage can next to the counter where the microwave was, glancing over his shoulder when he heard the distant _hum _of a generator as the television came back on. "There," he said calmly. "All better."

Paige chuckled quietly as she sat back on her bed, hugging the pillow close for another moment before she set it back against the headboard behind her. "Tha' was certainly a bi' of an adventure, huh?" she wondered as she made herself comfortable.

Dean tossed out the now empty bag of successful popcorn they had made before he joined her, wrapping both arms around her as she once again snuggled close and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, you could definitely say that," he agreed, setting his head on top of hers as he lightly ran his fingers over her arm. A small smirk appeared on his face. "I totally saved your life."

The Brit glanced up at him and smacked him softly on the chest. "You so did no'!" she protested. "A' leas' I had something with me."

"A pillow? What good would that have done against the sewer creature, Paige?" Dean asked before a thoughtful look passed over his face. "I suppose you could have smothered it, but that'd still be rather difficult since it's twice your size at least."

"I' was still better than nothing," Paige answered. "Please enlighten me, Dean, as to wha' _your_ brillian' plan was. Were you going to punch i' in the face or something?"

Dean shrugged. "You never know. It could have worked."

Paige rolled her eyes as she laughed a little. "You would have been ou' of luck if i' really had been tha' thing, Ambrose," she muttered. "Jus' know tha' I would have tried to save your life with my pillow before i' ate you."

"Good to know." Dean chuckled himself as his younger companion found a comfortable spot on his shoulder again, sighing quietly as he quickly kissed the top of her head before pulling her a little closer. Paige couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face when she felt his cheek rest on top of her hair once more.

There were no more incidents as the movie came to an end when the citizens of Miami lit a fire in the sewer in attempt to kill the creature that had been terrorizing them, though as any good horror movie was supposed to do, it left its viewers hanging by presenting them with the open ending that the creature could have possibly survived to scare and eat more people. A sequel had never been made, so there was no definitive answer, but Dean and Paige entertained the idea that the creature had made its way over to Tampa and had made an appearance on the fire escape outside of the latter's room that night, scared away by the burnt popcorn and the pillow that the Brit had wielded in their defense.

"Well, that was a fun evening," Dean said after they both begrudgingly left their comfortable spots on the bed. "I'd like to do that again sometime, without ruining the popcorn and any sewer monsters."

Paige chuckled as she turned on the light by the door, squinting slightly as she turned back to him. "Despite tha', I wouldn' say tha' tonigh' was an utter disaster or anything," she replied.

Dean smirked slightly. "Were you expecting it to be?" he wondered.

A moment passed before Paige smiled in return. "No," she told him. "No' a complete disaster, a' any rate."

Chuckling, Dean reached out and lightly pulled on her dark ponytail. "I'd say we did pretty well for ourselves tonight, then," he agreed.

"Tha' we did." Paige's smile lingered as she walked him to the door. "Too bad Emma's going to be back soon..."

"It's okay. Seth and Roman are probably wondering where I'm at." Dean turned back to her. "Since this went so well..."

Paige nodded. "Yes."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know what I was going to say?" he asked.

"I have an idea," Paige answered, her smile lingering. "And I agree. We should try this ou' and see where i' goes. Do this kind of thing more often like couples do..."

"Wow. I don't know what's scarier, the sewer monster outside your window or that you're a mindreader, Paige." Dean laughed, lightly brushing a thumb over her cheek. "But yeah. Let's try this out and see where it goes."

Paige's smile broadened as she reached out and hugged him tightly, glancing up at him as he wrapped his arms around her. "I like you," she muttered.

Dean returned the look. "I like you, too." He leaned down and met her lips in a soft kiss, this moment lasting a little longer before they pulled away. "Have a good night. Y'know, sweet dreams and all that."

"No, I was going to tell you to have nightmares," Paige said with a chuckle as she let go of him. "Good nigh', Dean. See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Dean replied before he pulled open the door of her hotel room and stepped out into the hall.

Paige watched him until he disappeared from sight down the staircase, not able to keep the grin off her face as she shut the door. The Brit made her way over to her bed and started picking up the pieces of popcorn that still remained from when they had thrown them at each other, checking under the pillows and blankets to make sure that she hadn't missed any. That night had gone better than she had expected, despite the little mishaps, and she couldn't wait to see what their next little adventure brought.

After all, if they could survive burnt popcorn and sewer monsters, they could make it through anything.

**The End**

**Author's Note**: All righty, that's the end of this one! As mentioned before, there will be more oneshots to follow that will continue to go into and develop this relationship that is being tested out by these two characters. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


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